Having a very discouraging time

(Dan Dan) #21

you got it :smiley:

(julie) #22

Dan
Suggestions on high fat food I could have on hand at home. My life has been so anti fat for so long I feel guilty eating it

(Dan Dan) #23

Use your favorite fat, some like butter I prefer bacon fat (lard) :smiley:

I cook everything in generous amounts of bacon fat including stir fry veggies no drop is wasted :heart_eyes:

(julie) #24

Thank you

(Lynne Hurley Perry) #25

During your first weeks you should be eating lots and lots of fat-your body needs to get the message that this is a new but very reliable fuel. Then it will get to the business of changing your cells from being sugar fueled to fat fueled. There is a change that needs to happen. Do not fret about calories in the beginning. Also, women have slower starts. Be patient.

(Lynne Hurley Perry) #26

Cream cheese, butter, avocado.

(julie) #27

thank you Lynne, that is very encouraging. I almost get the feeling i am not eating enough or at the wrong time. I am trying to find some easy fat bomb recipes because I just don’t think i am eating enough…suggestions?

(Lynne Hurley Perry) #28

I kept things on the simple side early on. I usually started the day with a protein/fat shake. I start with a low carb protein powder-I use Vega Protein and Greens, then add walnut, avocado or mct oil 2-3 tablespoons. Then I would have a serving of walnuts which is 14 halves. That would keep me going. At first I only had the drink and I suspected it was not enough fat-then I added the nuts.

I also like salami roll-ups-take some cream cheese-full fat and put a good smear and roll-up. I use heavy cream in my coffee-100% of the time. A square of 90% dark chocolate-wt cream cheese or whipped cream. Whip up some whipped cream-I add a little swerve and vanilla bean powder. Just find the full fat items that you really enjoy and that are grab and go.

(Richard Morris) #29

I know one who gained weight for the first 6 weeks before all of a sudden her body said “Oh right we burn it not store it” and she was off to the races.

I going to make some assumptions; that you wake around 8 ish and drink a coffee with fat in it, then eat bacon and eggs at 11am … 3 hours later. At 2pm … 3 hours later you have some lunch, in the afternoon some string cheese for a snack … is that around 5ish (3 hours after lunch). And then dinner around 8ish … 3 hours later.

See the pattern? 3 hours … eat … 3 hours … eat … etc

Your insulin is like a beach ball being kept aloft by a bored crowd at the cricket
https://discourse-cdn-sjc1.com/ketogenicforums/uploads/default/optimized/3X/3/c/3c915beb96b76bc15ab805c1d00594a7896f532e_1_690x471.jpg

As long as it is elevated your body is storing fat and burning glucose … and if it doesn’t have any of that it will try to make more and make you feel pretty hungry all the time.

So the first strategy I would offer is make sure you are eating when hungry and not for set meal times during the day. If you aren’t hungry for a meal, then don’t eat until you are hungry. If you are hungry 3 hours after a meal, you may not have had enough food in that last meal.

#30

Hello @willow17

I am sorry you are having a hard time. I get the impression that you are feeling just a little bit overwhelmed and lost as to what to do. You will find that, although keto is still a pretty niche way of eating, there are many theories about how best to keto. The great thing is that you can find your own way - the way that works best for you. BUT you need to start somewhere right?

It sounds like you are going to be busy at work - are there restrictions on when and what you can eat? ie will you have time to eat? and will you have facilities to make food or do you need to take a packed lunch? The trick to that is to get prepared when you do have some time - plan ahead and prep some meals to take with you.

Dropping a considerable exercise routine is bound to impact you. It wont have a majorly direct impact on weight loss but it is going to have a knock-on effect on your general wellbeing. Is there a way to work something back in that is easier to fit into your work schedule? Some walking/running, a wind down yoga routine at home maybe?

That would lead me into asking about the other biggies that impact your health and weight loss - sleep and mood. Do you have regular sleep routine? Do you get enough, good quality sleep? What are your stress levels like? Maybe you are having to deal with a lot at work? Do you have time to wind down and relax, be sociable with friends? These are going to feed back into how well or badly you feel and are able to lose weight.

So there is a fair bit to consider before even talking about food!

A quick aside on your Mojo. Have you calibrated it? I don’t have one but have seen people discussing it and you need to calibrate it - instructions with the meter. The guy who sells them is also really nice so don’t be afraid to reach out if you are having problems with it. In fact, I believe they are on the forum. @mistermojo maybe he can advise you here. You may well find that actually you are getting a reading now. It would be worth getting some blood glucose strips so that you can see what your fasting glucose is doing as well as ketones.

Eating frequency - this has been discussed already and was the first thing that struck me reading your post. You are simply eating too often. Take it down to 3 solid meals a day. The more you can comfortably extend your fasting window overnight the better. I wouldn’t think about fasting past this point yet. Just get used to keto first and go with how you feel. Plan what you are going to eat for the week and just get into the rhythm of keto.

Looking at the kind of things you are eating, I would structure a typical day something like this…

Breakfast - Bacon and eggs.
Try using butter instead of cream in the eggs, it makes them super yummy and is lower carb. Cook the eggs really slowly and gradually add in small cubes of butter. If you cook them low and slow, it will incorporate nicely. As to the coffee, if you like bulletproof then fine but I would probably swap it out for a regular coffee with a bit of cream maybe if you like it creamy. Or you may find you like a BPC as your breakfast - lots of people do.

Lunch - Bunless burger and salad
Load up the salad with a nice oily dressing - you could make a blue cheese dressing maybe?

Dinner - looks like you eat fairly lightly in the evening so maybe a cheese or egg salad? But enough to satiate you and see you through till breakfast. If you don’t feel like eating much in the evening then maybe have your tea with cream or similar, with a snack.

As to drinks during the day, I would try and steer away from too much cream. Half and half is not great - OK in a pinch but better off with cream. It is not a serious issue but it can add up fast, depending how much you have in each drink.

Keep it simple. It really doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep a track of what you are doing and measurements etc. Take some pictures every week or month to see progress.

Good luck. x

(Mister Mojo) #31

@willow17, are you 20g total carbs or net carbs? what is your fasted baseline glucose? do you test your glucose before and after meals to see what items are causing you to have a sugar spike? @Daisy, is correct did you use the calibration code key that came with your meter. this code key matches the code on the side of the vial and communicates the enzymatic batch resistance to the meter.

Other items to consider are what are your macros; age; Male or Female; how active are you; are you taking any medication?

There are many factors to consider, but generally I have noticed that once you corral those factors you can find the culprit that could be causing your stall.

(julie) #32

Wow, you are so kind to spend the time writing that wealth of information. Thank you. Yes, I was always taught to eat every 3 hours so this is all new to me.

(julie) #33

Hi. I need to call the company and get some help setting it up. I need to figure out all my numbers.

(Nick Eagle) #34

Hey @willow17, sorry its taken me this long to reply… I for so e reason didn’t see a notification that you asked. My go to fatness is cream cheese, butter, coconut oil, chuck roast, macadamia nuts, bacon, chicken thighs, and a combination of those. Just find a fatty meat you love and enjoy it… add fat (butter, oil, cream, tallow) to veggies or soups.The possibilities are endless.

#35

OP,

Back away from the dairy and start monitoring.

You have to establish your own monitoring to know if you are in ketosis. This can be accomplished through urine or blood test strips for ketones.

In your case, I would strongly recommend that you drop the dairy.

Also, consider a blood glucose meter.

The bottom line, don’t trust the labels - trust your monitoring.